Protecting You
by Hikari-Chime
Summary: Warning: SPOILERS! After Kikyo's death, Inu promises to protect Kagome. What happens when he fails? Obviously, this is a KagInu fic.
1. Leaving

Okay. I know I said I wasn't going to put on any new stories until I finished at least one, but I couldn't help myself. ' The reason I decided to put this one on is because it's going to be really short, ten chapters at the most. I guarantee that this one will be finished. Believe me; I have my entire summer vacation to do it.  
  
NOTE: SPOILERS WILL OCCUR! This happens after Kikyo's second death, Naraku's new body, and Kagome's encounter with that freaky looking baby (not quite sure of his name).  
  
**Disclaimer:** I don't know why I even bother with the disclaimer because if I owned Inuyasha, I would know the name of that freaky talking baby, know how to spell Mount Hikizue or whatever it's called where Naraku got his new body, have killed Kikyo off ages ago, and my name would be Rumiko Takahashi, which it's not. So there!

**Protecting You **

**Ch 1: Leaving**

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Kagome sighed as she gathered her things in Kaede's hut. The group had just got back from an exhausting battle that landed them with a jewel shard.But it was received without getting something in return. Sango had a broken leg and Miroku had a deep gash in his thigh. It wasn't even half as bad as Inuyasha's injuries. He sported another whole in the stomach and shoulder along with many small scratches and bruises.She knew he would get over it though. All he need were rest and bandaging (which was already taken care of thanks to her) and he would be running around in two days. She wasn't so sure about the others. It would take weeks for their wounds to heal. The group wouldn't be able to hunt jewel shards for a while; just the excuse she needed to get home without a hassle from Inuyasha.Belongings finally packed, the raven-haired girl headed out of the hut to first find Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, and Kaede; she would deal with Inuyasha last. She found Sango, Miroku, and Kirara sitting under the cool shade of a tree, resting. Sango's head lay sleepily on her future husband's shoulder while Kirara stretched out on her lap. Kagome couldn't help but feel slightly envious of the couple."Hey guys," Kagome called to them. Their heads snapped up at her arrival."Going home Kagome?" Sango asked, noticing her bulging yellow backpack.Kagome nodded and waved. "See ya in a few days, ok?"They all nodded and went back to what they were doing. She walked to find Kaede and Shippo. Soon enough, she found the old miko in her herb garden. They both said their goodbyes and Kagome was off again, in search of Inuyasha and Shippo, who was probably with him if not with the others.Knowing exactly where to find him, she set off in the direction of his favorite tree. Her assumption was correct since she found the hanyo sitting up in the highest branch of the tree, trying to get rid of the irritating little kitsune.Suddenly, he flung the defenseless kit off the branch. Kagome ran to catch Shippo before he turned into yokai pancake, dropping her bag in the process."Inuyasha!" she yelled. "You could have really hurt Shippo, you know!""Keh!" was his simple reply as he turned his back to her. She gave a frustrated sigh. She didn't have the nerve to sit him, fearing of injuring him more than he already was.Erasing all her negative thoughts for the time being, she smiled lovingly at the small yokai in her arms. "Shippo, go back to the village please. I'll see you in a few days, ok?"Shippo panicked. "You're going home? Is it because Inuyasha upset you?"Kagome shook her head. "No, I just have some things I have to get done in my time. It has nothing to do with what Inuyasha or anybody else has done.""Ok." With that said he jumped out of her arms and ran back towards the village."Inuyasha," Kagome started as soon as Shippo was gone. "I'm going home for a while. I'll be back in a few days. You know we won't be able to gather any jewel shards with Sango and Miroku injured so—""Go ahead," Inuyasha stated, cutting her off.She blinked a few times in surprise. "N-Nani?""I said go ahead. What are you asking me for anyway? I don't have the right to keep you here." He remained turned away form her.Kagome was dumbfounded. Was that it? No fights? No Arguments? No sits? Was this the same Inuyasha?_No_, a voice in her gut said. _This Inuyasha's colder..._She couldn't help but believe that voice. The signs were there, after all. His body language and mood had changed since Kikyo died again. He was just like he was when she first met him, arrogant on the battlefield, but cold when around other people.Hatred, loneliness, and pain had been the cause of that. But now...now it was different. It was just...pain. He had become so overcome with pain that he was pushing everyone away again. She knew how he felt. She had done the same before, earlier in her lifetime.She sighed a good one, one that felt good to get out. She picked up her fallen bag."Inuyasha," she watched for his ears to twitch before continuing. "If you ever need to talk about anything...I'll always be here."Without waiting for an answer, she started slowly around the village toward the Honekui.Inuyasha listened to her footsteps until they died out. Could she really help him? Would she really always be there for him?No, he told himself. It was a lie. As soon as Naraku was defeated and the Shikon no Tama was restored, she would leave. She would return to her own time and leave this era behind her.She would leave him.That's what upset him the most. That's what plagued his nightmares and thoughts every waking minute of his time.He may not have realized it before, but he needed her. He needed her as much as she needed him to protect her. And hell knows he hasn't been a very good protector.He had let Kikyo die. Again.He had failed her. Again.He had let her fall into the hands of Naraku. Again.He wasn't going to let happen to another. He would protect Kagome...As long as he lived.

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Well that was an interesting chapter. Lot's of drama. I know it was short, but I had to end it there. If I kept going, the chapter wouldn't sound right.  
  
**Japanese translations:  
**  
hanyo: half-demon  
  
yokai: demon

kitsune: fox demon  
  
Nani: What  
  
Honekui: Bone-eater well  
  
See you in the next chapter! Oh, and one more thing...  
  
Review!


	2. Tears

(I've decided to put all of my AN's at the bottom unless it has something to do with the chapter. The disclaimer will be at the top, obviously.)

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, Kikyo would have never been brought back to life, Kagome and Inuyasha would have admit their feelings toward each other ages ago, and I would have changed Naraku's name to Mr. Monkey-man Bastard. Also, I wouldn't be wasting my time writing fan fictions here in America, but instead be in Japan focusing on the real anime. So in other words, I DON'T OWN INUYASHA! People these days...Why must I have to break it down for them...

Speaking: "Inuyasha no baka"

Thoughts: _Inuyasha no baka_

* * *

**Last time:**

He had let Kikyo die. Again.

He had failed her. Again.

He had let her fall into the hands of Naraku. Again.

He wasn't going to let happen to another. He would protect Kagome...

As long as he lived.

* * *

**Protecting You**

**Chapter 2: Tears**

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Kagome had finally reached the Honekui after 20 minutes of walking. She sighed, dropped her bag at the side of the well, and sat on its edge, feet dangling inside.

She felt guilty for leaving Inuyasha alone. He was obviously grief-stricken and she felt the need to comfort him. She wanted to climb up that tree, hold him, and tell him everything was okay. She wanted to mend his broken heart, making it whole again and maybe...be a part of it.

She shook her head. Iie, it was a stupid idea. She would only get in the way and complicate things more.

She always got in the way...

If she hadn't been there, Inuyasha could have been protecting Kikyo instead of her. And Kikyo would still be alive. But, no. She had always been around, causing more grief and problems for Inuyasha.

Kagome felt like dirt thinking about this.

Once she had told herself, "If you really love him, you would let him be free. You're just holding him down."

She was right thinking that. She was always in the way, holding him back with her petty feelings when he could have been Kikyo. She was too stubborn for own good. Her father had said her stubbornness would come back at her one day. Now she wished that she could've taken his warning to more extent. She should have just stayed home before, instead of causing more pain and coming back to say she wanted to be with him.

She was the cause of his pain.

She was the cause of Kikyo's death.

It was all her fault.

A single tear dropped down the young girl's face. Then another...and another...

She was crying.

Kagome was not the one to cry over anything. She was very strong. She hadn't cried since she first figured out she was in love with him.

Inuyasha...

It hurt. It hurt so much.

She didn't care who could see her right then. She just cried out her pain and frustration that had accumulated over the past few months. She felt a little better, but was still in grief. Loneliness flowed throughout her body.

She now knew how Inuyasha felt. What a horrible feeling...to feel so alone that you think nobody, not even your family, would or could help you. If she was him, she would probably cry every night or on the point on going insane.

Sobs threatened to take over her. She forced them back, crying softly in her hands which were wet from too much crying. Her face was puffy and her eyes were red as a rabbit's.

Suddenly, realization came to her. Inuyasha could smell her tears! The wind did blow in his direction after all. She needed to go home before he came running.

Grabbing her backpack by the shoulder strap, she hoisted herself up and put all of her weight on her hands, preparing to jump into the old well. She stayed in that position for several minutes, staring into the dreary well's depths until her hands hurt from the pressure. She sat back down on the edge.

She couldn't do it.

She couldn't leave him.

She was afraid. She knew that if she left, she didn't know if she could bring herself to come back. She had come to conclusion earlier: Inuyasha would be a lot happier without her around. Knowing her, she would probably stick to it, no matter how much it hurt. She wanted him to be happy. Kagome wasn't selfish and didn't care that her heart was being torn to pieces as she thought about it. She wanted him to be happy...that's all that mattered.

But, she still couldn't do it.

She wanted to at least say goodbye. Hell, she wanted to do more than that. She wanted to tell him everything. All of her doubts and fears. All of her feelings.

_Baka!_ she thought angrily. _That'll only make things worse than they already are!_

But even as she told herself this, she couldn't bring herself to jump in. She was a fool. A scared fool.

Growling in frustration, she spun herself around so her feet would touch the ground. Angry tears slid down her face.

She was upset with herself, for being an idiot and a wimp and not knowing how to control her feelings. She laid her head in her lap sorrowfully. Uncontrollable sobs overcame her.

Kagome tried to wipe her tears with the collar of her shirt. It was already wet so it didn't clear much. She didn't have a handkerchief either. She decided to ignore them and let them flow freely down her face.

Soft footsteps caused her to tense up immediately. They stopped in front of her but their owner said nothing. The upset girl brought her head up to glance at the feet.

They were bare and were connected to red pants.

Her stomach did flip flops. Maybe if she ignored him, he would disappear. 'Please go away,' she chanted to herself. 'Onegai, please go away.' Her gaze remained on the bare feet.

A square of red cloth in a clawed hand was put in front of her face. She stared at it for a second, before taking it silently. She then proceeded to wipe the salty tears off her face and to blow her nose. Any other time she would have laughed at the sound her nose made blowing into the scrap of the hinezumi no koromo.

Inuyasha moved to sit on the side of the well next to her. The pair elapsed into an uncomfortable silence.

Kagome continued to stare at the place where his feet were a minute before. The ground seemed pretty interesting at the time. Her crying had stopped, but she continued to sniff and her face was still flushed and puffy.

What would he say? Would he yell at her? Why hasn't he said anything yet? These questions swarmed through her head at a million miles an hour.

She winced when he sighed. "Did I upset you Kagome?" he whispered so low that she had to strain to hear. "Was I the one who made you cry?"

That caught her completely off guard. Not really the reaction she expected... But the thought that he was blaming himself caused her to whip around to face him.

After she did it...she wished she hadn't.

He was looking at her with the most heartbreaking expression she'd ever seen. His eyes were dark and she could tell that he felt that it was his fault that she was crying. His face made her want to burst out into tears all over again. She averted her gaze back to the grass.

She swallowed hard before whispering, "Iie, it's just me being stupid. It's not your fault."

It went silent again. The wind picked up a bit, making Kagome's face cold since it was still a bit damp from her tears.

Her chilled face was momentarily forgotten as she thought about a bigger problem. She had to put an end to her question's nagging at her brain. A question that she always wanted to ask Inuyasha, but had been too chicken to do it. But now, it was back at full blast, trying to get to her. It was like a dog chewing on a chew toy, gnawing at her and tearing piece by piece of her will until she'd eventually go crazy. She no longer wanted to know, but needed to know. It was now or never...

Gathering up the last bit of courage she thought she had, she hesitantly started, "Inuyasha, do I..." Taking a deep breath and squeezing out a bit more courage, she finished. "...do I get in your way?"

There. She said it. It was funny how one person could get so worked up over such a simple question. She was sure, looking back at this, that she would laugh at how silly she was. However, Inuyasha took it sort of the way she expected.

Inuyasha gaped at her, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Finally, he ground out a "_What_! What the hell, Kagome?! Where are you getting these stupid ideas from?"

Kagome rolled the material of her skirt between her fingers. _Dammit, Kagome! This is what you get for not keeping your big mouth shut! _She cursed to herself lightly.

"Well it's just..." she started. Inuyasha just stared at her with a frown, waiting for her to continue. She twiddled her thumbs, nervously. Should she tell him? Here she had the chance to tell him everything, but she was having second thoughts. _Here's your chance, Kagome! Tell him!_ "I was thinking that maybe if—"

"KAGOME!!!!!!!" screamed a certain kit as he raced towards her. She stood, surprised to see that the young yokai was here. The yelling kit flung into her arms, looking at her, concerned. "Kagome, what's wrong? I smelled your tears all the way from the village!"

Kagome gave an exasperated sigh. She had forgotten about Shippo. Things just seemed to get worse for her since she now has to deal with a worry-wart kitsune and a stare-a-whole-in-your-back hanyo. She tried to put on a smile. It ended up more like a grimace.

"Shippo, um, I'm fine. Really." _I think that's my biggest lie yet_, she thought grimly.

Shippo shook his head, his mop of orange hair flying everywhere. "You were crying. You're not fine. It was him, wasn't it?!" he said, pointing a small finger at Inuyasha who returned with a defensive "What!".

Kagome held up a hand to stop the oncoming battle, effectively shutting up the bickering yokai and look at her. She sighed, closing her eyes and gathered up her nerves. Opening her eyes and smiling a genuine fake smile, she addressed Shippo first. "Shippo-chan, I'm fine. Don't worry about me...both of you. I just got a little upset about something, that's all."

The young yokai stared at her before giving a hesitant, "If you say so..."

Nodding, she grabbed her yellow backpack and placed Shippo on the well's edge. "I'll be back in a few days. Four, at the most. See—"

"Kagome..." She turned to Inuyasha, blinking at him a few times. He walked closer to her, so close that they were almost touching. She couldn't help but flinch slightly at his antics and be prepared for the yelling of the century. So was much to her surprise when he didn't even raise his voice. "Kagome...you better come back. If you don't, I want even hesitate to climb through that well and drag you back here. Four days is all you have, you go that?"

She blinked him some more, her eyes doing a great impression of a hummingbird's wings. Okaay...so it wasn't the reaction she was expecting. Once again she was misled. Her expression softened and gave off a not-so-forced smile. "Got it."

With that, she jumped in the well, leaving behind a confused Shippo and a troubled Inuyasha.

* * *

Sorry about the long delay. Things have been hectic these past couple of months from me getting a job to summer homework. (Yes I got summer homework. T.T) I'm actually going out of town again on Saturday and will be gone for a week. So the hiatus shall continue until I get back. But I did find time to write a chapter for this story. As for DM and SBAFAL: DM I haven't even started doing the second chapter yet but, I will when I get back and SBAFAL is halfway written. So just bear with me, okay? Don't kill me yet! However, to make up for everything, I gave you six pages of not-so-action-packed drama-filled goodness! Hope you enjoyed it!

I found this chapter specifically hard to write. I had to fit all of the emotions into the right place and all that stuff. I'm not really an emotional person so it was kind of difficult at first. I think I did pretty well if I might say so myself. sticks nose up in the air snobbishly

Japanese translations (Courtesy of "The Art of Inuyasha" and research):

Iie-No

Onegai-please

Hinezumi no koromo-robe of the fire rat

See you at the next chapter and don't forget to review!


	3. Thoughts

Disclaimer: Even though this story has been on hiatus way too long, I still do not own Inuyasha. :sighs: But I can still drool over him, right?

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Protecting You 

Chapter 3: Thoughts

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He was disturbed. 

No, disturbed was an understatement. He was highly….well, disturbed.

As Inuyasha sat back in his favorite tree, he thought to himself. Yes, my friends, Inuyasha does think. Though it may not be evident, he does have a brain. But our Inuyasha was not thinking about ramen, killing Naraku, or ramen like he usually did when he was high up in his leafless tree. This hanyou had only one person on his mind.

Kagome…

Why had she been crying? She had confirmed it wasn't his fault, but he still felt guilty. Whenever the slight appearance of a tear glistened in her chocolate gaze, he felt guilty. As her protector, he felt sort of …what was the word?

Overprotective.

No. He wasn't overprotective. He was just concerned. She was his responsibility after all, so the possibility of her crying made him feel responsible. He felt that he wasn't fulfilling his duty. Duty wasn't exactly the right word either…

Inuyasha growled at mostly himself and also at his lack of formulating his thoughts correctly. His arms crossed over his chest as the sun set under the trees and teased goodbye to the area around him, playfully illuminating his irritated features dimly. He ground his teeth in guilt, almost drowning in the feeling. He was so damn confused.

"Oi! Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha scowled behind him at Miroku, who looked up at him from the base of his tree. The monk held onto his staff tightly, using it to support himself. "What is it lecher?" Inuyasha growled, though he couldn't help but be grateful towards Miroku for interrupting his down-hilled thoughts.

Miroku ignored Inuyasha's title towards him as usual and spoke firmly. "I need you to come with me to purify a village of a demon."

Inuyasha cast a dark look over his shoulder. "Why don't you get Sango or Kirara to go with you?"

"Because Sango has a broken leg, if you've forgotten, and I want Kirara to stay with her."

"I'm sure Shippo would make a decent sacrifice. Take him then," he said sourly.

Miroku sighed. "Kagome would gut me if I did that, smart one. What's your problem anyway? Did you get in another fight with Kagome?"

"No! You stay out of it!" Inuyasha exclaimed heatedly, jumping to his feet defensively.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Keh. Shows how much you know…"

Miroku raised a brow. "So, you didn't fight?"

"Of course not, bouzo. What kind of guy do you think I am?"

"Right…. So, what happened to make you act like a stick got shoved up your behind?"

The hanyo scoffed and glared at him. "You think you're real funny…" He jumped from the tree, landing beside Miroku and stuffed his hands into his sleeves. "Let's just get this over with."

* * *

Kagome yawned in her bed and blinked open her eyes. It was a wonder what a goodnight sleep could do to a person. She felt considerably refreshed; her eyes were not as heavy and puffy from so much crying and the tired feeling because of it had relinquished. The girl pushed back the covers and hopped out of bed, then floated to her balcony. The slight breeze teased her face when she had opened the glass windows, and the sun glistened brightly into her room. Today was going to be a good day. 

_I'll just forget everything about yesterday. It's Friday and tomorrow night I'm going to enjoy myself._

She nodded to herself as if the whole matter had been settled and started to get dressed for school. She was dreading it, really. The last thing she needed right now was the nagging of her friends and teachers. Her friends, of course, would only be bugging her about Inuyasha, the last person she wanted to be thinking about. And her teachers, they would be bugging her about how much homework or tests she had missed, and that now that she was better, she would have to work diligently to catch up or she would be in danger of failing school and blah blah.

Hell, did any of them know what she was going through? Fighting demons day and night, worrying that the next morning she could awake to the deaths of her friends. Oh and how about Sango and her brother, Miroku and his wind tunnel, and then she had to care for a tiny kit. And, oh! Don't forget about the hanyo that she so happened to be in one-sided love relationship with! Can't forget about him! Then there was Kikyo, and wait, there was Naraku to worry about too!

Kagome suddenly felt grim and depressed again as she pulled on her uniform skirt, that she was seriously considering skipping school...again. But, when she recounted the troubles again that she had in the feudal era, modern time seemed like a sanctuary. Oh well. She was already dressed anyway.

After emerging from her room and walking down the stairs into the kitchen, she was greeted by the smiling face of her mother. "Good morning, Kagome! How did you sleep?"

Kagome felt the corners of her lips curl upwards. The sight of her mother's smile just made her feel a little bit better. "Fine, Mama." She moved into the kitchen and sat across from her brother, who was unwillingly listening to a lecture from their jii-chan about the history of the egg. She glanced at her breakfast, a bowl of both rice and miso soup, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat.

"I was so worried about you dear; you looked so upset last night. But, I'm glad you're feeling better." Ms. Higurashi said, wiping her hands on her apron and sitting beside her daughter.

"I just had a lot of things on my mind recently. But a goodnight sleep did the trick."

Sota glanced at his sister, ignoring his grandfather. "When is inu-no-nii-chan coming to visit again?"

Kagome froze and shot her brother a mental glare. _Stupid. Why did he have to bring _him_ up now?_ "Um..."

"Sota! Would you like another pickle slice? They're really delicious!" Ms. Higurashi intercepted, shoving a plate of pickles under his nose. Sota replied with a confused, "Okay" and grabbed one from the plate. Jii-chan looked confused.

Kagome smiled gratefully at her mother_. I'm so lucky. I have the greatest mom in the world._ She sighed and stood, "I better get to school. Thanks Mama."

Cleaning off her dishes and giving Buyo a goodbye pat, she slipped on her shoes and ran out the door into the shrine grounds, school bag in hand. She wouldn't even allow herself to glance towards the direction of the well. _Must forget…_

She was walking through the bustling streets of Tokyo, 5 minutes away from her school when she heard her name being called. "Kagome! Wait up!"

Kagome groaned inwardly and stopped to face her three friends who came running behind her. Her face twisted into a forced smile. "Hey guys."

Ayumi was the first to speak when the trio had caught up. "You're finally coming to school! How's your hepatitis treating you?"

Kagome sweat dropped as they began walking again. Hepatitis now? "Umm… It's getting along. So, anything interesting happen while I was out?" she asked, trying to get the conversation off of herself. The last thing she needed was them to ask about—

"So Kagome, how's your arrogant boyfriend? Are you bringing him to the spring dance tomorrow night?" asked Eri, grinning.

Too late. The young miko sighed desperately. The day had just turned from great, to living hell. She did not want to be thinking about _him_ right now. "No. I'm going with Hojo, remember?"

The three girls gaped at her. "What?" screeched Fuka, eyes wide. "What about your boyfriend?"

"Me and Inuyasha got into a fight and are taking a break from each other," she lied. Well some of it was kind of true. She was taking a break from Inuyasha, sort of. "So, when Hojo asked me, I said yes." Even though Hojo had asked her almost 2 weeks ago… Of course, she had said yes. It wasn't like she was actually going out with Inuyasha. She was surprised her nosy friends hadn't found out about it earlier.

"Oh, Kagome…" Ayumi soothed.

"Great, Kagome! That guy was bad news, anyway. Always getting into fights and stuff. He wasn't good for you." Eri stated, being the most _wonderful _support. Kagome sighed. She loved her friends, she really did, but they sure knew how to irk her enough to want to strangle them.

"Un. I agree. Hojo is the best for you right now."

The school came into to view and Kagome nearly jumped for joy. Anything was better than being around her friends right now. "See you later you guys! I have to go meet with some of my teachers before class starts."

Ignoring her friends' sounds of protest, she ran into the school as fast as she could, but not too fast that it would cause suspicion. She was supposed to be recovering from hepatitis after all…

* * *

She was so screwed. 

She had to make up…. five tests. Five! She also had to make up seven quizzes and 13 homework assignments. She was going to fail school… There was no way she was going to be able to make up all that work.

She shook her head as she waited in line for it to be her turn to run. No. She needed to pass. Even if she had to stop going to the feudal era for a week, she was going to finish those assignments. Inuyasha was just going to have to understand. And if he won't cooperate, she'll use the power of the necklace. But she was going to pass junior high, and she was going to get into high school.

At least she had PE to help her release some of her pent up frustrations. When it was her turn to sprint and she had lined up on the track with the 4 other girls, her face was scrunched up in complete concentration. The whistle rang. She was off.

At first she was only in third as she made the first turn. Her pony tailed hair flopping side to side, she increased her pace to put her in second. The girl she passed looked at her with wide eyes and she couldn't help but grin. _Eat my dust. You're racing the wrong girl today._

One more left. She wasn't that far ahead of her. Kagome pumped her arms, panting hard. _Imagine a demon is chasing you. Run like a demon is chasing you._

She frowned. That idea didn't work. She was still behind. She tried a different tactic. _Your teachers are ahead of you… They're giving you more work! You have to trample them to stop them! _

Clenching her teeth together, she put up a burst of new energy as the reached the final turn. Soon the other girl was getting a nice view of her behind. _Ha!_ Kagome chuckled evilly in her mind. _You losers!_ The arrogance was getting to her head. Maybe she needed to spend 2 weeks from Inuyasha. _No! Don't think about him!_

The crowd gaped at her as she crossed the finish line in first. The PE teacher mouth sagged, his stopwatch limp in his hand. It was weird, but that run felt like nothing. She wasn't even as tired as the other four runners, who leaned over gasping for breath as soon as they crossed finish, while she just panted evenly, wiping some sweat from her brow. Running from demons did have its advantages.

"WOW!" The crowd of teenagers erupted on the side lines, scaring Kagome into living hell. Eri, Ayumi, Fuka all ran up to her, Eri shaking her like a rag dog. "Oh my god, Kagome! What are they giving you in that hospital? I want some of it if it makes you run that fast!"

The young miko groaned inwardly. She had forgotten that she was supposed to be sick. There was nothing she could do now but play along. "Heh heh. Yeah."

As soon as she was about to make a break for the locker room when the bell had rung, she was cornered down by the P.E. teacher, who she later found out was the coach of the track team. "Higurashi! Would you be interested in joining the track team?"

Kagome blinked at the man, and then shook her head. "Uh… thanks for your offer, but I really think that I should—"

"Nonsense! You should stop by my office this afternoon and I'll get you registered! I have never seen anyone run that fast in a while, my dear. Our team is doing so badly this year, it's ridiculous. Don't worry about not knowing about the sport. I'll fill you in when we meet this afternoon, okay? See you then, Higurashi!" The coach had rushed off so fast, that she barely had time to utter a little, "No tha—".

Sighing which had to be the thirteenth sigh that day, she wearily walked towards the locker rooms. The tired feeling was starting to seep in. She wasn't sure she would be able to make it to the dance at this rate, even if the dance was still a day away.

"Oi Higurashi!" Oh no… who was it now?

She whirled around only to come face to face with no one other than Hojo. At least it wasn't a teacher.

"Hojo-kun! How are you?"

Hojo smiled at her, still clothed in his PE outfit and his sandy brown hair twinkling in the sunlight. Kagome might have like him if he wasn't as dumb as a doorknob. He was still her friend though, no matter how dense he was. "I saw you run. That was great! That medicine I've been giving you must be really helping."

Kagome fought the urge to strangle him. "Umm…yeah." She was so irritated right now, that she had to clench her fists to keep from what her body was screaming at her to do. Clonk some sense into the innocent boy in front of her. "Look, Hojo, I really need to—"

"Oh, right." Hojo grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Kagome felt no pity towards him. She swore, if one more person cut her off…. "I was just making sure we were okay for tomorrow. You sure you feel up to going?"

Her attitude towards him wavered slightly. Hojo was always looking out for her, unlike a certain _someone_. Kagome bit her lip, fighting to keep back the tears. She had done it again. She had thought about him. And now she was breaking down all over again.

Hojo must have noticed her change in mood. He looked panicky as he placed comforting hands on her shoulders. "Kagome, don't cry. We don't have to go to the dance if you don't want to. We could go see a movie instead or maybe we can stay in somewhere."

Eyes glassy, she stared up at him. He was such a good guy. She wondered if she had never fallen in the well in the first place, would she be going out with him right now? Kagome swallowed her tears and gave him a small smile. "I'm fine. It's just that I'm kind of having a bad day and I guess it sort of caught up with me emotionally. We can still go to the dance."

"Are you sure you're okay though, Higurashi?" He looked so sincere; she could tell he was really worried about her. Kagome felt like dirt. She didn't know why, but she did.

"Yeah." She allowed her smile to get wider. "Thank you, Hojo. You're a good f…person." She was going to say friend, but she was sure that would crush the poor guy.

Then it happened. She wasn't sure how to react. But then, he just smiled and started to get really close to her. When his eyes began to drift closed, that's when her fear was confirmed.

He was going to kiss her.

She was definitely not ready for this.

First of all, she imagined her first kiss to be in some romantic place like a rose garden or something. In front of the girl's locker room certainly did not meet the criteria. Second of all, she imagined that the kiss would be delivered by someone that she actually cared about. Not exactly a friend, like Hojo. Someone who she might be in love with. Someone like….

No. His name was taboo to think or say. From now on, she would refer to him as Puppy. That way, instead of bawling into tears, she would merely burst out laughing. And this was exactly what she did.

Hojo stopped, inches from her face, and blinked down at the girl who had just collapsed in a fit of giggles. Tears poured from her eyes, as her face flustered up, trying to apologize and laugh at the same time. When Kagome finally was able to control herself, she squeezed out, "Gomen nasai, Hojo! I wasn't…laughing at you… It's just that," She paused to think up some quick lie. "That this is a really…awkward place and I…just couldn't imagine—"

"It's okay, Higurashi."

Her laughter ceased abruptly and she blinked at him. "Really?"

"Yeah. Your friends told me what happened. I understand if you're not ready. But I promise you though; I am not that kind of guy. I will treat you much better!"

Kagome gaped at him for a minute, but recovered and asked, "W-what? Sorry, but, am I missing something here?"

"Your boyfriend. You broke up with him right?"

"Yeah…" They didn't….

"You're friends told me about it. They told me how devastated you were about the whole thing. But please Kagome, if you give me a chance, I know I can prove to you how much I care about you." They _so_ did…

Aw… She was melting and fast. Every word that he said, it was filled with such desperation that Kagome felt that she could cry again. Only, she didn't. She was filled with too much rage. "H-Hojo… I don't know what to say. I—"

"AHHHH!"

Kagome blinked at the large amount of girls that just fell out of the locker room. Apparently, they had put too much weight on the door while spying on the pair and had torn it off its hinges. It now lay beneath a pile of half dressed girls.

Kagome reddened. Half rage and half embarrassment. Her entire female PE class population had witnessed the entire conversation. She was mortified… Her hands curled into fists.

Eri took one look at the enraged Kagome from her spot on the floor and gulped. "Hey Kagome! What's shakin'?"

* * *

By the time she had left the PE teacher's office later that afternoon, Kagome was mentally and physically exhausted. 

She had burst out half her anger at her friends, screeching at them until her face turned purple when they let out at the end of the day. They apologized profusely, but she really didn't want to hear it. All the pressure and frustration from the past week had been fusing her, all of the emotions being thrown at her three friends. She still didn't feel the least bit guilty, but she knew she would later, when she got home probably.

Still running on the anger from dealing with her friends, Kagome had ventured to the PE office. While she had constantly told the man, "I. Do. Not. Want. To. Join." he ignored her, going on about track events, meets, the whole sport itself, etc. It seemed that she was just drafted into the track team, required to attend practice every afternoon after school in preparation for the meet on Sunday. So basically, she had only one day to prepare for the meet. Great. Another deadline she had to meet.

So she was exhausted. Flip present day; she'd fight demons any time if it meant getting away from school.

As she trudged up the steps of the shrine, she looked up hopefully at the top, yearning to see her red-clad savior come whisk her away from this world. Yet she found the shrine painfully empty and something tugged a little at her heart. He wasn't coming to get her.

But the way she left things back in the feudal era, should she really blame him? He was probably angry at her.

She sighed deeply, walking into the den of her house and calling out a somber "Tadaima…"

"Hello Kagome dear! We're in the kitchen!" Mama's cheery voice greeted her. Kagome walked, shoeless, into the kitchen, Sota eating a sandwich at the table and Mama washing some dishes. "How was your day, dear?"

"It was okay," she answered, even though it was a complete lie. Grabbing a snack from the pantry, she quietly left the kitchen and ventured up to her room. When she had reached it, she threw her bag to ground and collapsed on her bed, smothering her face into the pillows.

Life was so hard.

It was so overwhelming at times, like now. She had so many things on her mind, so many things bothering her that it was giving her a headache. Her brain was processing too much information and soon she thought it might explode, like a computer crashes when receiving too much data. But there was nothing she could do but try her best to make do of it all.

Kagome sighed, flipping over onto her back and fingering the box of pocky in her hands.

For some reason, Puppy came to her mind. A giggle escaped her lips at the nickname.

She had no idea why she thought of him while eating a box of pocky. She guessed pocky reminded her of Shippo, which reminded her of the feudal era, which reminded her of Puppy. Confusing, yes, but sensible.

She popped another chocolate goodness in her mouth and closed her eyes.

Puppy…. run home soon.

* * *

Here we are. Nine pages to make up for the long hiatus. :-) It wasn't really my fault. I've been grounded from the computer. Yes, for 7 months. Harsh right? Tell me about it. I was going to make it about a page or so longer, but writer's block hit me so suddenly. The next chapter will be the first half of the dance! Yay! Just for inside info, this is not going to be a Hojo and Kagome fic. It just seems like it. 

You know what to do…. Review.


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